This document has detailed instructions on how configure SOLIDWORKS Visualize Boost after it has been installed. For instructions on how to install and activate Visualize Boost, please see our Visualize Boost 2023 Install Guide.

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Contents

Standalone and Cluster Configuration

Networking Mode Options

Utilizing Visualize Boost

Standalone and Cluster Configuration

After installing and activating Visualize Boost, the software can be used in conjunction with Visualize Professional to render projects over your network. For the majority of network setups, Visualize Boost can be used with the default settings. This section will go over how to access the Visualize Boost settings area, in addition to the options that are available for configuring multiple machines running Visualize Boost to be part of a cluster.

To access Visualize Boost, do one of the following:

• From the machine hosting Visualize Boost, launch the software via the Visualize Boost shortcut, or navigate to http://localhost:9031/config.html in Chrome, Firefox, or Internet Explorer.
• If you are on a client machine, launch Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer and navigate to either: http://<BOOST MACHINE HOST NAME>:9031/config.html or http://<BOOST MACHINE IP ADDRESS>:9031/config.html

Once the Visualize Boost user interface has loaded, navigate to the Setup tab.

Within the Setup area of Visualize Boost, there are three options that can be set.

1. The Cluster Name field can be used to change the name of the Visualize Boost cluster. Available Boost clusters can be selected within Visualize Professional. Please see the Utilizing Visualize Boost section for information on how to select a Boost cluster form the client side.
   
   
2. Use the Cluster Client Access Port field to specify what port will be used when a client install of Visualize Professional connects to a Boost cluster. The default port is 8998.
   
   
3. Within the Networking Mode area, one of four different system modes can be set for Visualize Boost. The default mode for Visualize Boost is TCP Mode with Discovery. Please see the following section for additional information on the differences between each selectable networking mode.

Networking Mode Options

There are four networking modes that can be used with Visualize Boost. An overview of each of these modes is listed below. Please see the illustrations associated with each option for more information on the networking modes.

1. No Networking. This mode is used when you do not want the machine hosting Visualize Boost to form a cluster with other Boost machines on your network.

2. UDP Multicast Mode. This mode is recommended if your network supports UDP Multicast. Please see your network administrator for more information on your network setup.

3. TCP Mode with Discovery. This is the default networking mode for Visualize Boost. When set, this will attempt to automatically connect all correctly configured Boost machines via TCP.

4. TCP Mode. Similar to TCP Mode With Discovery, this mode allows Visualize Boost machines to communicate via TCP. However, TCP Mode grants the ability to input specific machine addresses for configuration as part of a cluster. This mode is not recommended unless all other networking modes do not function correctly.

If either the UDP Multicast Mode or the TCP Mode With Discovery are selected, then you will need to input a Cluster Discovery Address. This address will be an IP address followed by a port above 1024. This port will be used for communication between machines hosting Visualize Boost. The following ports are the default for their respective networking modes:

• 8994 for UDP Multicast Mode
• 8995 for TCP Mode With Discovery
• 8996 for TCP

If any changes are made to the Setup area in Visualize Boost, the option for Save Configuration will need to be selected before any changes are implemented. Reset to Default can also be used to set Boost back to the default state.

Utilizing Visualize Boost

To render with Visualize Boost while using Visualize Professional, please follow the steps listed below to connect to the Boost process.

1. Within Visualize Professional, navigate to Tools > Options > Boost
   
2. In the Boost tab, select the Scan option to Scan for clusters.

3. The name of your Boost cluster should show up under the Profiles Proceed to step 6 if the Boost cluster shows up after scanning for it. If the cluster does not show up, click on the Add button.

4. In the new window that appears, you will be able to select the cluster type. If your cluster is utilizing NVIDIA VCA, select the VCA Otherwise, choose Boost.

5. Input the name and address of your cluster into the Name and Server Address.
6. Click on Connect after inputting or verifying the Name and Server Address of your cluster.

7. You should receive a message stating that the connection was successful. You should also see an updated Connection Status. If you would like to save this Boost profile for use on another machine, click on Save. From the other PC, click on Load to load the saved profile.

8. To use the Boost cluster for rendering, bring up the Output Tools window and select the Boost icon found under the Render Settings.

For further assistance, please contact our support team at support@hawkridgesys.com, or 877-266-4469 (US) or 866-587-6803 (Canada).